CEs: When running in your NL, please include the following EM: Go to the National page in Typeform + find the Home Buyer Index quiz. Click the three dots, "copy to" — your MKT. Go to your MKT tab and edit the quiz from there; you will need to edit the name and design, then edit the question's date and the answers (plus the answers in both end screens). Please add a live results page to both end screens.

Whether you’re planning your next move or just love scrolling Zillow, NBC’s home buyer index — which debuted in May and is updated regularlyCEs: Change to " which debuted earlier this year and is updated monthly" if running in Q4, just say "which is updated monthly" if running in 2025 — might help you keep better tabs on the Lakeland real estate market as it shifts from month to month.

How it works

The study uses a 0-100 scale to measure the level of difficulty when purchasing a home; the higher the score, the more difficult. It's measured using four factors: cost, competition, scarcity, and economic instability (think: market volatility, unemployment, and interest rates).

Is it legit? A real estate industry analyst, bank economist from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and other experts helped develop the tool, according to NBC News. Examine the methodology.

A few caveats: The index does not capture additional homebuying difficulties for certain groups, such as those with lower credit scores, and it can't always capture data for more rural communities.

Polk County's rating

CEs: Will need to update info in this section using the index, depending on run date. Please update: date in the first line, overall difficulty, cost, competition, scarcity, economic instability, median buyer price + median list price.

The data listed below comes from June 2024, but it's updated regularly — in other words, you can check back whenever you're curious. Check out Polk County's numbers, on a scale of 0 (easy) to 100 (difficult):

Overall difficulty index | 60.1
Cost index | 86.2
Competition index | 26.4
Scarcity index | 8.7
Economic instability index | 91

The index also shares that a median income buyer here in Polk County can afford a $328,000 home — compare that to the median list price for a home, which is $340,000.

Feel good about buying, but want to stay updated on what it's like to live in Lakeland? Check out our City Guides for the 411.